Connecter for stranded cable



April 20, 1937. A A, BERND-|-l 2,078,051

CONNECTER FOR STRANDED CABLE Filed April l1, 1935 IIIIIIIII//l/l wm, I

Ptetcd dpr. 2b. i937 @OUTER FR STRED @ABLE Arthur d. Berndt, Chicago, lill., assigner to Electroline Corporation, Qhicago, Ill., a corporation of Illinois Application April il,

3 Claims.

The invention relates to connecters and partlcularly` to electrical connecters for .joining stranded wires.

Uonnecters of the type to which the present 5 invention relates are constructed to permit hand insertion of the ends of the wires which are joined to the connecters by gripping members housed within tapered end portions thereof. The shell and gripping members cooperate in joining a cable or wire to the connecter so that the tension longitudinally thereof will act to proportionately increase the gripping or holding action as the tension increases. The connecter is preferably constructed of metal having a high l5 conductivity and as the same houses all its parts within the shell they can not become lost and a light and compact article results.

in joining stranded wires or cables to con"- necters such as` described difficulty has been 20 experienced in that the outer strands of the cable separate and flare outwardly, making it impossible at times to insert the cable within the end of the connecter. Also the gripping members are arranged in sets `.of two or more and 25 insertion oi a 'stranded cable having strands tending to spread or flare outwardly often results in a strand enteringthe space between the members, thus interfering with their normal operation and preventing a secure joint between 30 the connecter and cable. v

The invention aims to overcome the above diillculties in joining stranded wires or cables by providing the ends of the connecter with retaining rings to thereby conne the outer strands and keep them from' spreading and which lrings can bel removed'when the cable is released from the connecter and the jgint disassembled, per- 'mitting reclaiming of the rings for future use or for salvage purposes.

4.0 Another -object ofthe invention is to' provide a retaining ring which will have a tight t with the end of the stranded cable to be inserted in a connecter and which will have association with the bevelled edges of the gripping members to 45 prevent interference with the insertion of said end of the cable.

With these and 'other objects` in view the invention may consist of certain novel features of construction land operation, as will be more 50 fully described and` particularly pointed out in the specicaton, drawing and claims appended hereto. n

In the drawing which illustrates van embodiment of the invention `and wherein like reference 55characters refer to like parts- Figure 1 is an elevational view of a connecter for joining stranded wires or cables, showing the -same equipped with the retaining rings of the invention;

60 Figure 2 n a manu view taken mngaudl- 1935, Serial No. 15,769

nally of the connecter and retaining rings as shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a sectional view showing the connecter and rings of the invention with stranded wires joined to the respective ends thereof; and

Figure 4 is a transverse sectional View taken reducedI diameter compared with the size of thecylindrical portion of the casing. The walls of the casing in the vicinity of the end openings are slightly greater in thickness than the casing wall at the other points since the extreme outer end of the casing is called upon to withstand severe strains due to the tension placed upon the wire connected thereto.

Located within the casing are two sets of gripping members, each set consisting of two or more members having contacbwith the tapering walls of a portion l2. Each member I4 is of wedgeshaped formation and is formed with a trough or groove extending lengthwise thereof and suitably roughened by means of teeth I5. Each 'member is also .provided on its exterior surface with a transverse groove I6 for receiving several strands Il of spring wire for yieldingly 'holding the) members in associated relation to form a set of two, three or four, as the case may be.

For maintaining the gripping members in contact withthe tapering walls of -the end portions a coil spring I8 is located within the casing and conned lbetween the sets of gripping members. The spring has convolutions of a diameter somewhat less than that of the casing so as to have free movement withinthe casing and has a length to exert suilicient tension to make an operative connecter. Between the respective ends of the coil spring and associated gripping members there is located a cup-shaped member prolwire held by the gripping members and having an exterior surface which increases in diameter from the base to the open end for purposes which will presently appear. The height of each cupshaped member is designed to prevent iull compression of the coil spring I8. The insertion of a wire or cable within an open end I3 of the connecter will force the "gripping members rearwardly away from their tapering walls and will cause the members to separate against the tension of the spring wire Il, permitting passage of.

vided with a base recessed at 2l for centering the' the end of the wire which thus becomes associated with the members. 'I'he operation resultsl in the wire contacting with member 20 and in movement of the member rearwardly, causing compression of the coil spring I8. In most instances the act of joining a wire to the connecter will cause one cup member to contact the other, whereupon further compression of the spring is of course impossible.

It is also noted that the diameter of the base portion of the cup-shaped member 20 is considerably less than the interior diameter of the cylindrical portion of the casing, whereas, the diameter of the cup from the center to rim is somewhat darger and has a. slidable t with the cylindrical portion. The reduced diameter of the base portion of the cup member is necessary as this portion should iit within the tapering end section of the casingV when the gripping members are in inoperative position in order to give maximum longitudinal movement for the spring and gripping members. The large diameter of thecupgcontrols the slidable movement of the same during compression of the spring in the act of inserting the wire.

The ends of the stranded wires or cables to be joined to the connecter described are unconfined after they have been cleaned and the insulation removed. The strands' going to make up the wire or cable are therefore free to spread or flare outwardly which happens very frequently to the discomfort of theworkman making the joint.

To hold the strands of the wire or cable so that they will be prevented from aring outwardly until the end is inserted within the connecter the invention provides a retaining ring designated in its entirety at 22 and which is made of any suitable metal, preferably of the same metal as that of the connecter. periphery of tapering contour to conform to the taperingportions I2 so that the ring Will neatly fit the tips of the connecter. The metal forming the central opening in the ring is rounded at 23 and continues inwardly to form a lip or flange 24. The construction of the ring therefore facilitates the entrance and insertion of a. stranded `wire or cable through the opening in the ring and to carry out this same feature the ends of the gripping members I4 are bevelled at 25. It will be noted that the bevelled edges are located under the inwardly directed lip 24 of the retaining rings when they are tted to the tips of the connecter. The end of the stranded wire or cable being, inserted within the connecter therefore has free and unobstructed passage and the trouble heretofore encountered due to thev flaring of the strands is entirely eliminated.

The connecters are provided with a ring fitted to each 4end thereof. The tapering circumference of the ring conforms substantially to that of the end portions of the connecter'although a tight fit between the parts is preferred to hold the ring in place, which, however, can be removed by the workman. Before inserting the cable or wire within the opening in the connecter the ring can be removed and placed on the wire near the end thereof so as to retain the strands close together and prevent the outer strands from flaring. 'Another method is to leave the retaining ring on the connecter and insert the wire or'cable through the opening inthe ring, which will properly direct the same into contact with the grip- The ring has an outer\ ping members, the passage of the cable through the ring operating to hold the strands in confined relation so that a secure connection with the gripping members results. 'I'he rounded section of metal indicated by 23 forms a flaring entrance` for the opening in the ring, which opening continues in a direction rearwardly to provide the lip or ange 24. The function of the lip is to overlie the bevelled edges of the gripping members so that the edges of the same will not obstruct or interfere with the entrance of a cable.

The invention is not to be limited to or by details of construction of the particular embodiment thereof illustrated by the drawing, as various other forms of the device will of course be apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of the invention or the scope of the claims.

What is claimed is:

1. A stranded wire connecter including a tubular casing having its ends tapered to form tapering end portions, a set of gripping members located within each end portion and engaging the tapering end walls thereof, means positioned between the sets of members for maintaining them in contact with their respective walls, each set of gripping members having a bore longitudinally thereof for receiving the wire inserted in the connecter,

the wire receiving opening in each set of members being bevelled, and a retaining ring fitted to each end of the connecter, said rings having a flange extending rearwardly from the opening therein and overlying the bevelled edges of the gripping members.

2. A stranded wire connecter including a tubular casing having its end portions reduced in diameter to form tapering end portions, a set 0f gripping members housed within each end portion and engaging the walls thereof respectively, each set of gripping members having a bore longitudinally thereof for receiving the wire inserted in the casing, resilient means located between the sets of gripping members f,or holding Athem in contact with the walls of their end portion, and a retaining ring fitted to one end of the connecter, said ring having a tapering circumference conforming to the taper of the end portion of the casing, and the opening in the ring having a flaring entrance for directing and facilitating the insertion of a stranded wire cable.

3. A stranded wire connecter including a tubular casing having its end portions reduced in diameter to form tapering end portions, a set of gripping members housed within each end portion and engaging the walls thereof respectively, each set of gripping members having a bore lon'- gitudinally thereof for receiving the wire inserted into the casing, the Wire receiving opening of each set being bevelled, resilient means located between the sets of gripping members for holding them in contact with the walls of their end portion, and a retaining ring fitted to each end of the connecter, each ring having a tapering cir-` cumference to conform to the tapering end portion of the. connecter, the opening in the -ring having a flaring entrance and the metal forming said opening continuing rearwardly to provide a lip overlying the bevelled edges of the gripping members, whereby said retaining ring will' hold the strands of wire in conned relation and will direct said wire into contact with the gripping members.

ARTHUR A. BERNDT. 

